Conventional exercise mats are mats or pads designed to provide cushioning for the user during a variety of physical exercise activities. For example, exercise mats are often used at health clubs during group activities like aerobics classes and yoga sessions, as well as during individual workout routines like stretching and doing situps. These conventional mats are generally thick and heavy foam pads that are difficult to transport easily. As such, they are maintained at the facility near the point of use or, for personal use, typically stored at home or other location close to the point of use. They quickly gather dirt through frequent use by many different users and via exposure to sweat and other contaminants. As such, they require cleaning on a regular basis, such as a daily basis, and would often benefit from cleaning between gym uses. Further, the foam used in conventional exercise mats breaks down relatively quickly that necessitates frequent replacement of mats.
Some facilities provide paper towels and spray bottles for the users to clean mats and other gym equipment as needed and between uses, but not all facilities provide such materials and it can be inconvenient for a user to clean a mat immediately prior to use. Further, some facilities require industrial washers to wash their mats and only wash them about once per month or longer due to the need for industrial washers, and many facilities simply spray wash their mats about once per month or so because they do not have industrial washers or want to incur the expense of sending them out for industrial cleaning. It would be desirable for users to have the option of maintaining an exercise mat as a personal accessory or at the gym. However, it would be difficult for a user to transport and store and clean a conventional foam exercise mat of the large, bulky foam type. This type of conventional mat is also heavy and awkward to carry and transport.
Less-bulky personal exercise mats have been proposed that have been designed for user portability and personal use. However, these conventional personal mats provide much less cushioning than the larger foam pads kept at exercise facilities, and they are generally difficult or inconvenient to clean on a regular basis. They also rely primarily on additional foam padding as a cushioning mechanism. As such, they provide less cushioning than the conventional foam pads in order to allow for their easy portability and use as a personal accessory while suffering from some of the same disadvantages, such as relatively quick degradation.
One type of conventional personal exercise mat employs a foam core surrounded by a woven fabric case that a user can remove for cleaning. Although such a configuration can be easier to clean for the user, the removability of the outer covering from the inner core provides a construction having a less secure interface between the layers. As such, it can allow for slippage during intense use and can degrade more rapidly than a rigidly fixed construction due to greater movement between the layers during use. Further, these conventional mats can fail to provide adequate grip between the mat and the floor or the user. This is because the woven outer material provides less contact grip than foam materials provided at the outer layer of other constructions.